Launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket delayed due to solar activity

The scheduled November 12 launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn second rocket was postponed due to an intense solar storm. The previous launch attempt on November 9 was also canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions.

What is known

The mission was set to start at 2:50 PM Eastern Time (6:50 PM GMT) from the SLC-36 space complex to deliver two ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) orbital devices to Mars. However, due to the potential threat to the onboard systems of the probes, NASA decided to delay the launch until space weather normalizes. A new date has not been set yet.

"We are evaluating the opportunities to establish a new launch window based on predicted space conditions and the availability of the launch pad," the company noted in its post on X (formerly Twitter).

It's worth noting that the launch will have to be coordinated with the US Federal Aviation Administration, which has currently imposed restrictions on daytime commercial launches due to the government shutdown.

The ESCAPADE mission will be NASA's first Mars mission since 2020. The apparatus, created by Rocket Lab, will study the impact of solar wind on Mars' atmosphere.

Source: Blue Origin